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Obsession is a neurosis climbers know well, but some know it better than others, and some mountains bring it out in singular ways. Pakistan's Trango Tower is one such mountain, as author Greg Child can attest. Martin Boysen, Michel Piola, Voytek Kurtyka, Kurt Albert, Takeyasu Minamiura and Jared Ogden regale us with thier adventures on the shining phantom of the Karakoram. Greg Child

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Climbing any route on an 8000er deserves a tip o' the hat, but Makalu's West Pillar merits a full bow from the waist. Kitty Calhoun was the first woman to climb it; in the years since, she hasn't exactly been resting on her laurels. Kitty Calhoun

off belay

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Most topos offer simple lines and symbols on a printed page. For climbing artists, however, route depiction is only the beginning. Clay Wadman, Michel Piola, Philippe Barthez, Elio Orlandi and Gardner Heaton present some of the finest topo art in climbing. Clay Wadman

For two young brothers from the Basque country, it was either go professional or give up climbing in favor of other careers. Their deliberations on the matter overlooked one thing: the strain this choice would put on the most important relationship of all. Eneko Pou and Iker Pou

From the conglomerate of Montserrat to the fabled limestone of the Dolomites, Armand Ballart has devoted himself to an aesthetic life. Now he recollects his version of the craft: ground up, in the footsteps of the masters. test Armand Ballart

Pops has Kate and Bridget by the short hairs, Forrest is at the end of his rope, and Alpha Ranger is lurking in the shadows. If this were a movie, do you think we could get Travolta to play Hardy? Steve "Roadie" Seats

In 1995, Stephen Venables finished Andy Fanshawe's masterpiece, a celebration of all things bold and beautiful in the greatest of the Great Ranges. Ten years later, he combination climber-porn/bible of world alpinists has influenced the best climbers in the world—and inspired a decade of armchair alpinism. Stephan Venables